Fiji Water, or rather one of its promotional models, stole the show at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards.
Kelleth Cuthbert, now known as "Fiji Water Girl," adorned in a blue dress that matched a tray of Fiji Water bottles she was holding, photobombed celebrity red carpet photos at the awards, getting behind Constance Wu, Julianne Moore, Judith Light, and Darren Criss.
In each photo, Cuthbert stood to the side, clearly smirking and looking at the camera. Her presence did not go unnoticed. #FijiWaterGirl and #FijiWaterWoman were trending on Twitter from Sunday night to Monday morning.
Gotta give the #fijiwatergirl credit, she knows how to find the camera. #GoldenGlobes https://t.co/vS7J33ED6B pic.twitter.com/bo4xNDoCjq
— Connor Ryan (@connortryan) January 7, 2019
Outlets including CNN, People, The Washington Post, HuffPost, Fortune, Time, BuzzFeed, E! News, and Daily Mail covered the PR stunt.
Upon noticing the social media chatter, Fiji posted a tweet joking, "She’s right behind us, isn’t she?" The tweet received 1,300 retweets and 8,500 likes.
We’re so glad everyone is talking about our water!
— FIJI Water (@FIJIWater) January 7, 2019
*senses ominous presence*
She’s right behind us, isn’t she? #FIJIwatergirl
The brand posted a tweet later Sunday night with a picture of a Fiji Water bottle sitting next to Golden Globe trophies and the text, "We’re honored that FIJI Water could hydrate this year’s finest talent."
We’re honored that FIJI Water could hydrate this year’s finest talent. #goldenglobes ??: Stefanie Keenan / Getty pic.twitter.com/kH8IjJyUwi
— FIJI Water (@FIJIWater) January 7, 2019
The reaction from Twitter users was mostly positive.
She’s just doing her job as an influencer, guys. Everyone’s going to be talking about Fiji water tomorrow. Genius level move, here. #GoldenGIobes #FijiWaterGirl https://t.co/pGLLwNnnPJ
— Sarah Gilliland (@SarahGilliland) January 7, 2019
Other people thought the brand spoiled celebrity photos with its product placement.
Ridiculous product placement spoiling the photos of the celebrities
— Kathy Rothwell (@kathyrothwell) January 7, 2019
Fiji representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Fiji’s activation is just the latest example in a golden age of photobombing. Other notable incidents include Ian Madrigal dressed as the Monopoly Man, sitting directly behind Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a Capitol Hill hearing last month; and the "plaid shirt guy," who went viral for his facial expressions at a Trump rally in September.
